Before we move on to the five ways to motivate yourself to train over Christmas, we need to address a few key points.
1. If you don’t exercise regularly (at least three times a week), doing a workout over Christmas won’t result in weight loss or prevent weight gain. So remember to maintain a consistent exercise routine throughout the year!
2. The purpose of Christmas workouts isn’t to justify eating more food. Instead, it gives you a whole host of benefits by oxygenating your body, boosting the mood, fortifying your physique, and burning off extra calories. This is an important and much needed diversion from the time spent sitting at a lavishly set table.
3. When preparing festive dishes, try to make them healthier and more diet-friendly. Opting for more cooked rather than fried dishes, and more vegetables and fruit, won't diminish the appeal of the Christmas table.
Read also: “How to slim down Christmas dishes?”.
Five ways to get motivated to train over Christmas
1. Engage the whole family in exercising together for shared enjoyment
Christmas is about spending time with family and friends. That’s why it’s a great idea to invite one another for a joint training session! Going for a run or a long, vigorous walk together, having a joint yoga session or even doing some aerobics will help you all engage in physical activity, burn calories, and have an enjoyable time. Research shows that regular group exercise improves physical health as well as mental well-being [2].
2. Schedule your workouts in advance, so that nothing gets in your way
During Christmas, every minute is precious. So before you find yourself caught up in the whirlwind of meetings, reserve a slot for exercise. Opting for the morning – before the Christmas rush begins – could be a good choice. Your favorite gym may be closed over the festive season, but don’t let that discourage you. Training at home, using your own body weight, will be just as effective. How about skipping rope? Did you know that you can burn up to 200 kcal by doing 1,000 jump ropes [3]!
Find out the benefits of skipping rope workouts
3. Think of workouts as time for yourself
Feverish preparations, tidying up, and then gathering around the table – these are the essential attributes of Christmas. However, an excess of stimuli, emotions, and food can have adverse effects. Why not incorporate a workout into your festive schedule, dedicating an hour or so exclusively to yourself, to nurture your body and mind? This will make an excellent gift! Especially knowing that as many as 56% of active Poles would like to exercise more often [8]. The holiday season offers a great opportunity to achieve these goals and step into the New Year with confidence!
4. Exercise improves mental well-being
Christmas is a time filled with culinary temptations – and if you indulge yourself too much, also a time of guilt and regret. During the festive season, we tend to eat more and the foods are more calorie-rich than our day-to-day fare. Exercise can bring a sense of accomplishment and confidence, knowing you’re taking good care of your body.
This probably raises the question: what about the calorie deficit? Can you ‘offset’ an extra piece of poppy seed cake by doing a rigorous, hour-long workout? This depends on your individual factors and on whether you have a consistent training regimen, which allows for better exercise planning.
According to one theory, the body continues to burn calories for several up to several dozen hours after exercise. Again, this varies from person to person, but another study has found that the majority of calories are burned during and just after exercise [4].
Read also: “How to reduce the calorie content of popular Polish cakes?”.
5. Exercise makes you happy!
A great Christmas mood is always welcome. Especially because, regrettably, the festive period may be a tense time, with so many people nowadays living under chronic stress. The MultiSport Index 2023 report shows that as many as 90% of Polish employees feel stressed, and 48% of them admit that they bring stress home [5].
Meanwhile, just 10 minutes of physical activity can amp up your happiness level. Those who engage in exercise for more than 30 minutes several times a week tend to perceive themselves as happier compared to those who are less physically active [6].
Why is sport so important?
Sport keeps you healthy. Do you know this saying? The odds are, you do. But what is behind these words? Regular physical activity strengthens your muscles and bones. It enhances performance, and has a positive impact on the heart and the whole body. In addition, it reduces the risk of developing conditions like atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. Sport has a great effect on the brain, helps relieve stress, reduces anxiety, supports the treatment of depression, and enhances sleep quality [7]. What’s more, engaging in physical activity fosters social interaction and helps build interpersonal relationships [2].
According to the WHO, adults should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity throughout the week. The time should be spread across three separate days. Twice a week, you should engage in muscle-strengthening exercises. What’s the conclusion? Focus on maintaining consistency in your exercise routine, on regular days and holidays alike.
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References:
[1] U.S. tops list of countries with the most calorie-laden Christmas dinners, https://www.today.com/health/u-s-tops-list-countries-most-calorie-laden-christmas-dinners-t62061, dostęp online: 03.10.2023.
[2] Komatsu H, Yagasaki K, Saito Y, Oguma Y. Regular group exercise contributes to balanced health in older adults in Japan: a qualitative study. BMC Geriatr. 2017 Aug 22;17(1):190. doi: 10.1186/s12877-017-0584-3. PMID: 28830443; PMCID: PMC5567431.
[3] How many calories does jumping rope burn?, https://www.jumpropedudes.com/blog/how-many-calories-does-jumping-rope-burn, dostęp online: 03.10.2023.
[4] Sevits KJ, Melanson EL, Swibas T, Binns SE, Klochak AL, Lonac MC, Peltonen GL, Scalzo RL, Schweder MM, Smith AM, Wood LM, Melby CL, Bell C. Total daily energy expenditure is increased following a single bout of sprint interval training. Physiol Rep. 2013 Oct;1(5):e00131. doi: 10.1002/phy2.131. Epub 2013 Oct 24. PMID: 24303194; PMCID: PMC3841058.
[5] [8] Raport MultiSport Index 2023. Nowy wymiar aktywności.
[6] Raport MultiSport Index 2022: dwa lata w pandemii.
[7] Malm C, Jakobsson J, Isaksson A. Physical Activity and Sports-Real Health Benefits: A Review with Insight into the Public Health of Sweden. Sports (Basel). 2019 May 23;7(5):127. doi: 10.3390/sports7050127. PMID: 31126126; PMCID: PMC6572041.